Month: October 2016

I consider myself to be an introvert. This means that I find that social situations drain my energy, whereas staying home alone refills my energy. That doesn’t mean that I don’t like social situations or seeing my friends, it just means that I need to be emotionally full first. It is kind of like money. You earn money, and you spend money. Introverts earn our “money” through solitude. Extroverts earn “money” through social activity. Similarly, our spending habits are opposites. Introverts spend their “money” through social interactions, whereas extroverts spend their “money” through solitude. Neither is bad or good, they are just different. Continue reading “Introverts, parties, and friendship”

This is a post that I have been writing for some time now. I wanted to write it, but I worried that it might be too painful for my friends and readers who are not as fortunate in this area of life as I am. I decided that I am going to go ahead and publish it now because it is a gratitude that I carry every day. If I always wait for a better time, it will never be done. Therefore, today I am so very grateful for my husband. I know that sounds corny and cliché, but I am. I haven’t always had a great marriage, as I alluded to in a previous post. Having had two disastrous marriages has made me really appreciate a healthy relationship. And so I want to celebrate my husband today. Continue reading “Celebrating my husband {Thankful Thursday}”

Well we finally finished our new chicken coop. I must say that I am underwhelmed with the results. I am relieved to be done with the project, but it didn’t exactly work out the way I hoped. If I were to do this project over again, there are several things I would do differently. The first would be to start by running the instructions through a sanity check before buying any materials. But first, let’s start at the beginning. Continue reading “How not to build a chicken coop”

Some of us have had hard lives. Probably even most of us have had hard times in life. I am willing to bet that everyone has had to face a challenge at some point in their lives. Some people face more challenges than others, and we call them strong. The people who have survived challenges that we don’t think we could handle often hold our admiration.Continue reading “Mastering strength”

Today is a gorgeous day, most likely the last hurrah of summer. The sun is shining, a few puffy clouds drift are studying across the sky, and it is currently 75 degrees. Medeina, my puppy, is frolicking in the yard chasing leaves, and the cat tries to chase the leash. It is a time to just be. I get to sit outside and write this post on my phone. What better weather could I have for Thankful Thursday? And to top it off, A’s teacher just called to tell me that she is having the best day she has had all year (after calling yesterday to say that she had been uncharacteristically difficult this week). Continue reading “College lessons {Thankful Thursday}”

We have all read our horoscope in the newspaper, telling us that as an Aries, we are going to run into conflict with coworkers this month. Or maybe it says you are a Libra and so you will have to negotiate some important contract this week. You know what? That is all baloney. I do believe in astrology, but not the newspaper kind. Those are about as accurate as telling your fortune based on your height, or your hair color, or your weight. Continue reading “Astrology as a spiritual toolbox”

My church has a tradition we call Month of Sundays, in which the entire month (usually one with five Sundays, so it varies by year) is connected by a single theme. This year the theme is Joy. I mean, true happiness, not J.O.Y. Last night we had a movie night and we watched the movie Inside Out. I have to confess that it made me weep. Continue reading “The value of emotions for well being”

If you know me at all, you know I am not super organized, despite all my desire to be. You also know that I have a ton of stuff to keep track of. I am down to four kids still at home, but they are active, so I need some way to manage my time. Today for Thankful Thursday I want to share my gratitude for Flylady’scalendar. No, I do not receive anything for this post. I just love this tool and want you to know about the freedom it has given me. Continue reading “My calendar organization {Thankful Thursday}”

My hard-working husband has to get up most mornings at 2 am to get ready to punch into work at 4 am for a ten-hour workday, and if he is lucky, it will only be five days instead of six. This makes breakfast very important for him. It will fuel him through the morning until his 11:30 lunchtime. Since I cannot get up with him at that ungodly hour, I make sure to have soaked oatmeal as ready as possible for him when he gets up. It takes only 5 minutes in the morning before he can eat. Continue reading “Soaked Oatmeal – Fastest Breakfast Ever {Recipe}”

I once told a friend I would write a post about my rotating file system. It took me a long time to get to it, partly because I simply forgot. I’m sorry, and I hope you find this valuable. I am horrible at keeping track of papers. I have tons of papers to deal with. Graded homework that has been sent home, homework to be completed, shopping receipts, appointment reminders, chore charts, school calendars, 3-week-old newspapers, notebooks, empty envelopes, bills, political mailings, books, charity solicitations, recipes I have printed out, etc. All of these are on my desk right at this moment. Most are poorly organized, meaning they have just been plopped down in a teetering stack waiting for the center of gravity to shift ever so slightly so they can all topple onto the floor. Continue reading “My rotating file system”